The opening night on Thursday, July 31, drew a large turnout, with visitors exploring the series of oil paintings and sculptures that use pigeons as recurring metaphors for safety, belonging, and stillness.
“My goal is to always quietly reach into people’s subconscious and draw out their hidden fears and emotions,” Lily said.
“Life inspires me. You can’t have life without death, just like you can’t have light without dark, or calm without a storm.
“I like to juggle both aspects in my work, the melancholic and the serene, but I like to juggle it subtly, because these topics are scary.”
(Image: Jack Bolton) Lily explained that the theme of home is one she has never been able to escape.
“For this body of work, I’ve used pigeons as metaphors to reflect our own personal longing for a place to call home,” she said.
She credited the team at Prism Contemporary, in Lord Street West, for making the preparation process easier than expected.
“The curator, Emma, has a great vision, and it was super easy collaborating with her.
“I just let her do what she does best and she curated the space and my work beautifully.”
She also thanked Lydia for communications and invites, Devon for graphic design, and Jack for photography.
(Image: Jack Bolton) Reflecting on the launch, she said: “The opening night went better than I ever expected.
“The turnout was overwhelming and seeing everyone enjoy and critique my work was the best feeling ever.
“There were a lot of different interpretations floating around and that’s exactly what I wanted from people.”
(Image: Jack Bolton) Lily admitted she had put too much pressure on herself in the lead-up to the event.
“This is my first solo exhibition, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, when actually, everything is OK! Regardless!
“Next time I will have more faith in myself and my practice.”
The exhibition runs until Saturday, August 16, open Thursdays to Saturdays from 12pm to 4pm at Prism Contemporary.